Multi-tray sheet feeder

ABSTRACT

By providing an apparatus having a plurality of sheet feeders, each having a tray elongate in top plan view for supporting a stack of elongate sheets, wherein a tray can be displaced in an outward direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sheet feeders, it is made possible for a tray displaced in an outward direction to be tilted over a relatively large angle at a given vertical clearance from the other sheet feeders.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a plurality of stacks.

Such an apparatus is known from Japanese patent application 59-167423. In this apparatus, two trays, each for holding a stack of sheets, are positioned above one another. In a feeding position, the trays are located to the side of a main housing of the apparatus. From the feeding position, the trays are each pivotable about a vertical axis near a corner of the tray at the front of the housing and at the housing side of the tray to a loading position projecting to the front of the apparatus. By pivoting the trays from the side to the front of the housing, loading of the trays is facilitated.

However, loading the trays is still a relatively cumbersome task. For instance a common size for a package of sheets to be loaded is 500 sheets. Such a stack constitutes a rather heavy yet flexible structure with loose sheets on the outside which tends to flex away from the other sheets and of which the sheets easily shift relative to each other so the stack does not fit into the tray anymore. Such a stack is difficult to handle and many users prefer to split such a stack in two or more parts, which are loaded successively onto the tray each next part being loaded on top of a previous part. However, this is time consuming and if the stack consists of printed sheets and comprises mutually different sheets, as is usual in the processing of sheets into mail pieces or if the sheets are to be scanned for storage as electronic documents or copying, splitting up the stack during loading entails the risk of disturbing the order of the sheets or turning the sheets upside down. Moreover, especially for loading apparatuses for processing larger volumes of sheets, it would be advantageous if loading stacks of sheets into the trays could be carried out more quickly, since idle time during loading has a relatively large effect on overall productivity of such apparatuses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a plurality of stacks each stack being supported by a tray in which the loading of stacks of sheets onto the trays is facilitated.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing an apparatus according to claim 1. Displacing a tray in an outward direction relative to the other trays and tilting the tray allows the top of the tray to be more easily accessible for a user to load a stack of sheets onto the tray. Because the tray is tiltable about an axis extending in its longitudinal direction, the tray can be tilted over a relatively large angle at a given maximum vertical clearance from other sheet feeders or sheets loaded therein. Vertical movability of the trays is limited because of the presence of other ones of trays above and/or underneath, which other trays may be fully loaded with a stack of sheets. Thus, accessibility of the tray for loading sheets is effectively improved within the limitations of vertical movability imposed by the presence of other trays above and/or underneath the tray.

Particular elaborations and embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

Further features, effects and details of the invention appear from the detailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first example of an apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with one tray in a loading position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a second example of an apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 with one tray in the loading position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the drawings, an apparatus 1 is schematically shown that can be mounted on or part of a system for processing sheets, such as a mail preparation system, a copying system or a printing system. In this example the feeding station 1 has four sheet feeders 2, each for individually feeding sheets from a stack in the feeder. The sheet feeders 2 each have a tray 3-6 for supporting a stack of sheets 7 and are each provided with separating and transport rollers 8 for feeding the sheets 7 one by one in a feeding direction 9.

The trays 3-6 are each elongate for receiving a stack of elongate sheets, such as A4, letter or folio sized sheets, and arranged vertically above each other. In operation, sheets are separated and fed in a longitudinal feeding direction 9 of the tray from the stack 7 supported by the tray 3-6.

Each of the trays 3-6 of the sheet feeders 2 can be displaced relative to the other trays in an outward direction 10 transverse to the longitudinal feeding direction 9 from a feeding position in vertical alignment with the other trays 3-6 of the sheet feeders 2 and with a feeding path of the apparatus to a loading position out of the vertical alignment displaced to a position projecting forwardly of the other trays 3-6.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the second tray from above 4 is in the loading position and the top of the tray 4 is clear from under the upper tray 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the tray 4 in the loading position is tilted relative to its feeding position about an axis 11 extending in its longitudinal direction, such that an edge 12 of the tray 4 facing in the outward direction 10 is lowered relative to an opposite edge 13 of the tray 4.

Since the tray 4 in the loading position projects relative to the other trays and is displaced towards the user, it is better accessible for loading a stack of sheets. In this respect, it is particularly advantageous that the tray is better accessible from above, which is the general direction from which a stack of sheets is to be positioned in the tray. Furthermore, since the edge of the tray facing the person loading a stack into the tray is lowered relative to the opposite edge of the tray, the top side of the tray is tilted towards the user and to an orientation accommodated to the orientation in which a stack of sheets can be held comfortably, which further facilitates loading of a stack onto the tray.

In this example the trays are suspended to be displaced outwardly first and to be subsequently tilted. The suspensions include straight guide rails known in the art to which the tray is suspended pivotably about an axis extending in its longitudinal direction. Furthermore guides are provided allowing pivoting movement relative to the orientation of the tray in the feeding position only if the tray is displaced outwardly to the loading position over some distance, so that scraping of the tray or of a stack of sheets loaded thereon along another tray or stack of sheets when the tray is displaced between the loading position and the feeding position is avoided. However, the combined translational and tilting movement between the loading position and the feeding position may also be achieved by providing a suspension having curved guide rails. The combined outward and downward displacement of the trays allows a compact arrangement of the trays in vertical alignment, yet provides an easily accessible loading position for each tray when it is displaced in the loading position. Since the trays are tiltable about axes extending in the longitudinal direction of the trays, the trays are tiltable over a relatively large angle within the confines of the limited amount of vertical space available.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 a second example of an apparatus 21 according to the invention is shown in which separating and transport members of the feeders 22 are each coupled to the tray 23-26 for lifting the separating and transport members relative to the tray 23-26 from a feeding position into a loading position when the respective tray 23-26 is displaced from the feeding position to the loading position. Thus, it is avoided that a supply roller 28 of the separating and transport members drags over the tray 23-26 or a topmost sheet of a stack 27 therein when the respective tray 23-26 is displaced between the feeding position and the loading position and there is no need for the operator to manually push the separating and transport members up before displacing a tray to the loading position. In the present example, this feature is realized in the form of a cam arm 34 on each of the trays 23-26, which cam arm engages a guide 35 interconnecting pivot arms 36 via which rollers 28 of the transport members are pivotably suspended. If the tray is displaced out of the operating position towards the loading position, the cam 34 of that tray contact the guide 35 and thereby urges the guide 35 with the pivot arms 36 and the rollers 28 upwardly away from the stack 27 or from the bottom of the respective tray 23-26.

The side guides 33 of the feeders 22 on the side opposite the side to which the respective tray 23-26 is displaceable from the feeding position to the loading position is mounted such that, when the tray 23-26 of that sheet feeder 2 is displaced from the feeding position to the loading position, the side guide 33 remains stationary. This provides more room in the tray 23-26 for loading sheets and, when the tray 23-26 is returned to the feeding position, the loaded stack of sheets is automatically aligned by being pushed against the stationary side guide 33 by the side guide 32 that is displaceable with the tray 23-26. However, according to the example shown in FIGS. 1-3, both side guides 12, 13 are in fixed positions relative to the tray, so that the side guides 12, 13 move with the trays between the loading position and the feeding position.

One or more of the trays in the loading position may also be tiltable such that the end of the tray facing in the feeding direction is lowered relative to the end of the tray facing in a direction opposite the feeding direction or such that the end of the tray facing in a direction opposite the feeding direction is lowered relative to the end of the tray facing in the feeding direction. Depending on which end of the tray is lowered with respect to the feeding direction, an abutment may be provided on the end that is lowered. A stack of sheets loaded in a tray in the loading position as described above, can then easily be caused to slide in or opposite to the feeding direction against the abutment and be aligned in feeding direction. When the abutment is located at the end of the tray facing the feeding direction, the stack of sheets is always aligned at the front side of the tray and the position of the abutment does not need to be adjusted to the size of the sheets in feeding direction. The pivoting movement causing the end of the tray at the side in feeding direction to lift or to descend, may be a separate tilting movement about a second axis transverse to the tilting axis 11 in longitudinal direction or the tray may be suspended so as to be tiltable about an axis that is oriented obliquely to the feeding direction.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawing and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. 

1. An apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a plurality of stacks of sheets, the apparatus comprising a plurality of sheet feeders, the sheet feeders each having a tray elongate in top plan view for supporting a stack of elongate sheets and each comprising separating and transport members for feeding the elongate sheets one by one in a longitudinal feeding direction of the tray from the stack, wherein an upper one of the trays is arranged vertically above a neighboring lower one of the trays; the tray of at least one of the sheet feeders is displaceable relative to the tray or trays of the other sheet feeder or sheet feeders in an outward direction transverse to the longitudinal direction between a feeding position in vertical alignment with the other tray or trays in the respective feeding positions and a loading position out of the vertical alignment; and said at least one of the trays in the loading position being tilted or tiltable relative to its feeding position about an axis extending in its longitudinal direction, such that an edge of the tray facing in said outward direction is lowered relative to an opposite edge of the tray.
 2. An apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a plurality of stacks of sheets, the apparatus comprising a plurality of sheet feeders, the sheet feeders each having a tray elongate in top plan view for supporting a stack of elongate sheets and each comprising separating and transport members for feeding the elongate sheets one by one in a longitudinal feeding direction of the tray from the stack, wherein an upper one of the trays is arranged vertically above a neighboring lower one of the trays; the tray of at least one of the sheet feeders is displaceable relative to the tray or trays of the other sheet feeder or sheet feeders in an outward direction transverse to the longitudinal direction between a feeding position in vertical alignment with the other tray or trays in the respective feeding positions and a loading position out of the vertical alignment; at least one of the trays in the loading position is tilted or tiltable relative to its feeding position about an axis extending in its longitudinal direction, such that an edge of the tray facing in said outward direction is lowered relative to an opposite edge of the tray; and the separating and transport members of said at least one sheet feeder are coupled to the tray for lifting the separating and transport members relative to said tray from a feeding position into a loading position in reaction to displacement of said tray from the feeding position to the loading position.
 3. An apparatus for individually feeding sheets from a plurality of stacks of sheets, the apparatus comprising a plurality of sheet feeders, the sheet feeders each having a tray elongate in top plan view for supporting a stack of elongate sheets and each comprising separating and transport members for feeding the elongate sheets one by one in a longitudinal feeding direction of the tray from the stack, wherein an upper one of the trays is arranged vertically above a neighboring lower one of the trays; the tray of at least one of the sheet feeders is displaceable relative to the tray or trays of the other sheet feeder or sheet feeders in an outward direction transverse to the longitudinal direction between a feeding position in vertical alignment with the other tray or trays in the respective feeding positions and a loading position out of the vertical alignment; at least one of the trays in the loading position is tilted or tiltable relative to its feeding position about an axis extending in its longitudinal direction, such that an edge of the tray facing in said outward direction is lowered relative to an opposite edge of the tray; and at least the tray displaceable into the loading position has a side guide at the side of said opposite edge of the tray which is mounted in a position which is stationary when the tray is displaced between the loading position and the feeding position.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray displaceable into the loading position is tiltable, such that when the edge of the tray facing in said outward direction is lowered relative to the opposite edge of the tray, an end of the tray facing in the feeding direction is lowered relative to the end of the tray facing in a direction opposite the feeding direction or the end of the tray facing in a direction opposite the feeding direction is lowered relative to the end of the tray facing in the feeding direction.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising at least one abutment for aligning a stack of sheets on the tray at the side of the tray that is lowered with respect to the opposite side when in the loading position.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the abutment is located at the side of the tray facing the feeding direction. 